I Will Do Everything In My Power To Bring Happiness To The Enchanting Beauty Who Can No Longer Smile. - Chapter 9: The Beautiful Girl Who Toppled the Nation and The Gradual Changes.

The Beautiful Girl Who Toppled the Nation and The Gradual Changes.

“Hey, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

It was the following Monday—Tsubame’s second day off in a row. I was walking home with her.

“Tsubame, what do you think an ‘old childhood friend’ really means?”

“…? Shigure-kun?”

“Ah, no, that’s not what I meant. I think I worded my question poorly.”

To Tsubame, “childhood friend” obviously referred to me, but that wasn’t quite what I was trying to ask. I realized my wording had been too roundabout.

“Well, um… This is about last week. You said you didn’t mind if I touched your cheek, remember?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“…That was just a joke, right?”

Tsubame is usually expressionless, so there’s always a chance she was joking. Or at least, I really hoped she was.

But my wish didn’t seem to reach her.

“I was serious.”

She meant it—completely. And she even looked me straight in the eye as she said it.

Serious, huh…? I had a feeling, but still.

“You really shouldn’t say things like that to guys so casually.”

“…?”

“There’s a saying that men are like wolves.”

“howl…?”

“…Why are you imitating a wolf?”

“Just felt like it.”

Hearing her say “howl” with a completely straight face left me at a loss for how to react. …Honestly, my heart made a slightly concerning sound just now.

“Anyway, you should be more careful with your words, especially around guys.”

“But Shigure-kun, you would never hurt me, right?”

“I wouldn’t, yeah. But you never know—you might get close to other guys in the future… It’s different if it’s a boyfriend, but in general, it’s not something you should say lightly.”

At that, Tsubame abruptly stopped walking. I instinctively halted as well.

“I can’t imagine getting close to anyone other than you, Shigure-kun.”

“…You can. At least with one person.”

That person, of course, was one of my very few friends—Haguchi Shirao. He’d probably be able to get along with her… I think. He was a bit reserved like she was, but he was kind.

“But I don’t want to get close to anyone else.”

Why?

I was about to ask but swallowed my words when I saw the deep darkness in her eyes.

Still, she seemed to understand what I wanted to ask and continued speaking.

“When you realize the other person never really saw you as a friend… it hurts.”

“…That’s happened to you?”

“Yeah. More than once.”

Judging by her words, it wasn’t just once or twice. Maybe that’s why she reacted the way she did when I called us childhood friends.

“Sorry, I wasn’t considerate enough.”

“It’s okay. I never told you about it either.”

It would’ve been easy to say, You’ll make friends someday, but that would be nothing more than self-satisfaction on my part. Besides, saying that to her now… It just didn’t feel right.

Still, that aside—

“Just remember, okay? Unless you’re really close with someone, it’s best not to say things like that too lightly.”

“Got it.”

She’d likely have to work with male colleagues in the future, and some might genuinely want to befriend her. The possibility wasn’t zero.

Tsubame nodded obediently… but she remained rooted in place, staring at me.

“It’s fine if I say it to you, though, right?”

“…That’s—”

“Because Shigure-kun, you would never hurt me.”

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that. Probably nothing too deep, but…

No. This whole conversation started because she once mentioned that she sleeps when she has nothing to do, staying alert for people who might hurt her.

So, in this case… it was best not to deny her words. Not that I ever intended to hurt her in the first place.

“Of course, I wouldn’t hurt you. …Which is why I also won’t be touching your cheek or anything.”

“But you used to do it all the time when we were younger.”

“Y-Yeah… I did. But, well, we’ve grown up now.”

“I see… That’s a shame.”

With that final remark, Tsubame started walking again.

I, on the other hand, couldn’t move.

She took a few steps before turning back.

“What’s wrong?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

I shut my half-open mouth and, with a long blink, tried to shake off the unnecessary thoughts crowding my mind.

—What exactly was she disappointed about?

Even as we continued walking, that question refused to leave my head.

As we moved forward, we passed by people who took double, triple, even quadruple glances at Tsubame. I was already used to it.

Still unable to shake off my lingering thoughts, I decided to change the subject.

“By the way, Tsubame.”

“Hmm?”

“Have you been watching animal videos since last time?”

At school, Tsubame spent most of her free time sleeping—before I arrived, when I stepped away for a moment, things like that.

She seemed to enjoy watching animal videos, so I wondered if she still did. I never saw her doing so at school, so I wanted to ask when we were alone.

“No, I haven’t.”

“…Any particular reason why?”

“Because it’s not my day off.”

Rather than being surprised, I found myself thinking, Yeah, that sounds like her.

Tsubame was incredibly disciplined—perhaps too disciplined.

“You’re worried it might affect your work?”

“Yeah. Especially if my expression changes because of it.”

I nodded. That made sense. If she spent too much time watching, it could indeed influence her work.

When she was in front of a camera, she always reverted to a neutral expression, so it probably wouldn’t be an issue… but still.

“Well, I get avoiding them while working… but what about after work?”

Knowing how serious she was about her job, I expected her to say no.

But—

“I’ll do that.”

She responded instantly, without a moment’s hesitation.

I widened my eyes slightly but quickly understood.

Maybe she had been struggling with this decision for a while.

And if my words just now helped push her in the right direction—well, that would be nice.

Or maybe I was just reading too much into it.

Either way, if watching them helped relieve her stress, that was all that mattered.

With that thought, I continued walking beside her.

Noticing how Tsubame was slowly changing—bit by bit—somehow made my steps feel lighter.